Where To Eat: Outdoor Dining In Legaspi And Salcedo Village, Makati...
By Isabel Martel Francisco
March 05, 2021Dine alfresco on Makati's roads with Makati Street Meet, a project by Ayala Land, Make It Makati and MACEA!
The closing of Legaspi and Salcedo village streets drew crowds, craving for al fresco dining experiences. Feasting on some of Makati’s best eats in the middle of the street? Sign us up! “Given the overwhelming response of the public [to Makati Street Meet] and as requested by many of the participating merchants, we decided to make it a recurring initiative and expand to more than just one location,” says Chrissy Roa, head of marketing and communications for Ayala Land Estates.
Ayala Land, Make It Makati, and MACEA collaborated to create the Legaspi Street Meet and expanded to Salcedo village too, making residents extremely happy. You can find Makati Street Meet at both Rada St. and Leviste St. bi-monthly.
In fact, did you know that this initiative originally began in 2017? However, with the new normal people have been eagerly seeking for open-air restaurant dining locations so Ayala and Makati thought why not re-invigorate the event to give it new purpose and to help revive the restaurant industry.
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“Through MACEA, we requested for a meeting with the owners and managers of the restaurants along Rada street,” shares Chrissy as she explains how they made this dining event come to life in 2021. To her, Rada is the perfect street to test the concept because of the amount of sought after restaurants and limited traffic flow. She continues: “During the meeting with the merchants, we discovered that we were all on the same page—they all wanted to re-invigorate the city without compromising people’s health and safety.”
Makati is Ayala Land’s flagship estate, which Chrissy tells me is meant to be much more than just a business district. She says it is a multi-faceted estate that offers a variety of experiences wherein F&B plays a major role. “The F&B scene in Makati was very much alive before the pandemic hit and the various culinary offerings in the central business district bring colour and flavour to [our] city. By promoting al fresco dining, we are bringing back that dynamism,” Chrissy elaborates.
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STORY CONTINUES BELOWThey wanted to create something in line with the new normal that was also meaningful. Ayala and the Makati government hoped to “encourage people to again step out of their homes, dine out, and partake of the various culinary treats in a safe al fresco setting”.
The Makati Street Meet is clearly more than just a business partnership. Chef JP Anglo whose restaurant Sarsa is on Rada agrees: “What sets the Makati Street Meet apart from other outdoor activations is the ‘bayanihan spirit’ between the merchants and organisers. It brought a sense of community." Each restaurant participated and contributed with great enthusiasm. Sarsa set the mood by providing music for Rada Street Meet, while other restaurants decorated, put out tables, and chefs made sure to help one another, lending ingredients and supporting their peers. From lighting, performances to décor and more, each Makati Street Meet keeps revealing new surprises.
In fact, on Leviste street, guest chefs from restaurants not located in the area were invited to set up pop-ups like that of chef Chele Gonzalez. In Legaspi, there were even pop-ups from Mo’s Cookies, Din Tai Fung and more! Stay tuned because new crave-worthy pop-ups will be making their way to the Makati Street Meet. Aside from just restaurants, this initiative supports start-ups, cloud businesses or home-cooks who are merchants are Mercato Centrale too.
Throughout all the festivities safety and health stays firmly at the core of the project. “The local government of Makati is very supportive of the Makati Street Meet” Chrissy tells me, adding that LGU members even shared their thoughts on how to keep the initiative as safe as possible.
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OUT OF MAKATI
The Riverside Sessions in Circuit Makati – A dining market with stalls, live performances and al fresco seating allowed citizens to step out of what may well be a small city living spaces into the great outdoors. Families with children and pets were clearly enjoying their time, event getting caricatures painted by artists.
WHEN ARE THESE STREET MEETS HAPPENING?
Makati Street Meet: March 14, April 4, April 18, May 2, May 16, June 13, and June 27.
Riverside Sessions: will happen on March 14, April 18, May 16 and June 27.
The dates for the rest of 2021 will be announced later on.
Read more: Outdoor Dining With Mercato Centrale
photography AYALA LAND
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